Jaded

Chapter Nine

Luca's restraint snapped like a twig under a paw.

"f**k it," he growled, the words low and feral as he spun back toward Jade. In two strides he was on her, his mouth claiming hers with a hunger that left no room for hesitation. His tongue pushed past her lips, tasting her deeply while his hands roamed her bare skin, gripping her waist hard enough to bruise.

Jade's back hit the counter again as he pressed into her, his body caging hers. Teeth grazed her lower lip before he bit down—not enough to break skin, but enough to make her gasp into his mouth. He answered with a second, sharper nip along her jaw, then lower, sinking his canines into the tender spot where her neck met her shoulder. The mark would show later. He wanted it to.

"Mine," he rumbled against her throat, voice thick with the future Alpha's command. His hands slid under her ass, fingers digging into soft flesh, and he lifted her effortlessly. Jade's legs wrapped around his waist on instinct, her lace-covered core grinding against the hard line of his c**k still trapped in his jeans.

Luca's mouth never left hers as he carried her through the short hallway. Every step made her lace-covered p***y grind against the thick ridge in his jeans, and he growled low in his throat, biting down on her bottom lip hard enough to sting before sucking it better. Years of wanting her crashed through him at once—every stolen glance when they were teenagers, every time he had watched her walk away knowing he couldn't claim her, every night he had lain awake listening to her soft breathing in the room next door. Now she was in his arms, half-naked and panting, and the future Alpha in him refused to hold back any longer.

He kicked her bedroom door shut behind them and dropped her onto the bed. Before she could catch her breath he was on her again, one knee between her thighs, his hand pinning both of her wrists above her head. His teeth found the soft skin just above her collarbone and sank in, not breaking the surface but leaving a clear red mark that would darken later. He licked over it immediately, soothing the sting with slow, deliberate strokes of his tongue.

"I've wanted this since we were teenagers," he rasped against her throat, voice rough with everything they had never said. "Watching you grow up under the same roof, knowing one day some other wolf will get to touch you like this... it drives me f*****g insane." His free hand slid down her body, fingers hooking into the waistband of her panties and yanking them down her legs in one impatient motion. He tossed them aside and spread her thighs wider, grinding the denim-covered bulge of his c**k against her bare, slick p**y in slow, heavy rolls.

Jade arched up into him and he answered with another bite, this one on the swell of her breast just above the black lace. He tugged the bra cup down with his teeth, exposing her n****e, then closed his mouth over it and sucked hard before biting down again. The contrast of pain and pleasure made her gasp, and he soothed the mark with a wet lick before moving to the other breast and repeating the process.

"Luca," she breathed, and the sound of his name on her lips made something primal snap inside him.

He released her wrists only to flip her onto her stomach, then yanked her hips up so her ass was presented to him.

His palm came down in a firm slap across one cheek—not enough to hurt badly, but enough to make her jolt—before he leaned in and sank his teeth into the soft flesh right where her ass met her thigh.

Another mark.

Another claim.

He flipped her back over just as quickly, settling between her legs again. His mouth found hers in a bruising kiss, all teeth and tongue and years of suppressed need. One hand stayed tangled in her hair while the other slid between their bodies, two fingers stroking through her wetness without pushing inside yet. He circled her c**t with rough, deliberate pressure, then dragged his fingers lower to tease her entrance before pulling away entirely.

"Not yet," he muttered against her lips, voice thick. "I want to feel every inch of you first." His teeth grazed along her jaw, then down to the sensitive spot behind her ear where he bit down again, harder this time, leaving another visible mark.

His hips rocked forward, grinding his still-clothed c**k against her bare p***y in steady, deliberate thrusts that promised everything and delivered nothing.

Each movement dragged denim over her swollen c**t, and he swallowed every whimper she made with another deep, biting kiss.

"We've been dancing around this for years," he growled, biting her shoulder again, then licking the spot. "And now you're close to being old enough to bond with someone else. Someone who isn't me." His voice cracked on the last word, rough with jealousy and longing. He bit her again, lower this time, just above her breast, then soothed it with his tongue. "I don't give a f**k about crossing into murky territory right now. You're mine tonight. Every mark I leave is going to remind you who you really belong to."

“Luca…” she breathes, entangling her fingers into his dark hair, before he shifted lower, mouth trailing down her stomach with a series of sharp nips and soothing licks until he reached the soft skin just above her p***y.

His teeth sank in there too, leaving another possessive mark before he moved back up to claim her mouth again. His hand returned between her legs, fingers spreading her open while he ground his c**k against her in slow, heavy rolls that made the bed creak beneath them. Every bite was followed by a kiss. Every growl was followed by a whispered "mine" against her skin.

The future Alpha and his childhood friend, finally giving in to everything they had held back for years, bodies tangled and marked in the dim light of her bedroom.

Luca's fingers traced her slick folds, gathering her wetness before circling her c**t again. "So f*****g responsive," he growled, biting her neck hard enough to make her cry out. "All these years, I wondered what you'd sound like when I finally touched you like this." His thumb pressed against her c**t as two fingers slid just inside her entrance, teasing, stretching, but never fully penetrating. "I wondered if you'd be this wet for me."

“f**k…” she whimpers as her hips bucked against his hand, seeking more, but he just chuckled darkly and withdrew his fingers.

"Patience," he murmured, biting her collarbone again. "I'm going to taste every inch of you first." He shifted down her body, leaving a trail of bite marks down her chest and stomach. His tongue dipped into her navel before continuing lower.

His hot breath ghosted over her p***y, making her tremble. "Look at me," he commanded, and when her eyes met his, he sank his teeth into the tender skin of her inner thigh. "So f*****g perfect." He licked the mark, then moved to the other thigh and repeated the action. "These marks will still be here tomorrow. When you walk, you'll feel them. When you sit, you'll remember who claimed you."

His mouth finally hovered over her p***y, close enough for her to feel the warmth but not touching. "Tell me who you belong to," he growled, fingers digging into her hips. When she didn't answer immediately, he bit down hard on her mound, making her gasp. "Who?" he demanded, licking the sting away.

"You," she finally moaned, and the word seemed to unleash something wild in him.

"Damn right," he snarled before finally lowering his mouth to her p***y. His tongue flattened against her folds, licking from bottom to top in one long, slow stroke. He circled her c**t, then sucked it into his mouth, alternating between gentle licks and sharp nips that had her writhing beneath him. His fingers returned to her entrance, this time sliding deep inside as his mouth worked her c**t.

The dual stimulation had her climbing toward orgasm fast, but just as she reached the edge, he pulled back completely. "Not yet," he growled at her frustrated whimper. "I'm not done marking what's mine." He flipped her onto her stomach again, this time spreading her cheeks wide. His tongue traced the small of her back, before biting the curve of her ass again. "Every part of you belongs to me."

His fingers found her p***y from behind, sliding deep as his tongue continued its exploration. He added a second finger, stretching her, preparing her.

"So tight," he groaned against her skin. "I can't wait to feel this wrapped around my c**k." He bit her again, then again, covering her ass and thighs with his marks. "I’m going to f**k you so hard you won't walk straight tomorrow."

He flipped her back over, his eyes wild with possession as he looked down at her marked body. "Look what I did to you," he growled, tracing the bite marks with his fingers. "Look how well you wear my marks." His mouth found hers again in a brutal kiss as his hand returned to her p***y. "Tell me you want it," he demanded against her lips. "Tell me you want me to f**k you until you can't remember anyone else's name."

"Please," she begged, and that was all it took.

Luca finally undid his jeans, freeing his thick, hard c**k. He rubbed the head through her wetness, coating himself in her arousal. "I have been waiting for this for years," he groaned, positioning himself at her entrance. "I’m going to make you mine in every way possible." He pushed in just the tip, then pulled back, repeating the torture until she was writhing beneath him. "Say it again," he demanded. "Tell me who you belong to."

"You," she cried out, and with a guttural roar, he slammed into her to the hilt.

The force made the bed slam against the wall as he set a punishing rhythm, each thrust deep and hard. His mouth found hers again, all teeth and tongue as he claimed every part of her.

His hands gripped her hips hard enough to bruise, holding her in place as he f****d her with years of pent-up need.

"Mine," he growled with each thrust. "This p***y is mine. These marks prove it. Every f*****g inch of you belongs to me." He reached between them, fingers finding her c**t again as he continued to pound into her.

The combination of his deep thrusts and skilled fingers had her spiraling toward orgasm again.

This time, he didn't stop.

"Come for me," he commanded, biting her shoulder hard. "Come all over my c**k like the good little wolf you are." His words, combined with a particularly deep thrust and sharp pinch to her c**t, sent her over the edge. Her p***y clamped down on him as waves of pleasure washed over her, but Luca didn't stop. If anything, he f****d her harder, chasing his own release. "That's it," he groaned, feeling her walls pulse around him. "Take it. Take all of me."

He pounds into her—deep, relentless strokes that knock the air from her lungs.

He grips her hips hard enough to bruise, pulling her back onto his c**k, f*****g her with a punishing rhythm that leaves no room for thought. "Whose p***y is this?" he grits out, his voice a low growl.

"Yours!" she sobs, her fingers clawing at the sheets.

"Say it again."

"Yours, Luca! f*****g—yours!" Her legs wraps around his waist as he pounds her deep and hard. He f***s her until her eyes roll back, until she is a trembling mess beneath him, her body surrendered completely to his rhythm.

He lifts her hips, angles her differently, and the new position hits that spot inside her that makes her see stars. She screams his name as another orgasm crashes through her, her walls clenching around his c**k, milking him.

But he doesn't stop.

He f***s her through it. Through every aftershock, every whimper, every desperate plea. He keeps going, his stamina unending, his hunger insatiable.

Then—

The word hit her brain like ice water.

Knot.

It is the exact reason why she has never slept with wolves.

She felt it—that thickening at the base of his c**k, the way his rhythm shifted, the instinctive drive to push deeper, lock in, claim. Her body wanted it. Her p***y was clenching, trying to pull him in, begging for the stretch and the heat and the helpless fullness of being tied to him for hours.

But her brain—her brain saw the pack. Saw his father. Saw the ceremony tomorrow, where she was supposed to stand at his side as his beta, not his—"Luca. Stop."

He didn't register it. His hips kept that grinding, searching motion, the knot pushing harder at her entrance, that fat swell of flesh trying to force its way in.

"Luca." Her hand shot down between their bodies, palm flat against his lower stomach, pressing. "Stop."

He went still. The growl in his chest cut off. His eyes—still half-wolf, that amber bleed—focused on her face. "What?"

"You can't knot me." Her voice came out steady. She didn't know how. "Pull out." She pushed at his chest, and after a frozen second, he moved, sliding out of her with a wet sound that made her stomach clench. The emptiness was immediate and wrong. Her body physically ached at the loss.

He knelt back on his heels, c**k jutting up between them, the base swollen and angry-red where the knot had started to form. Pre-c*m glistened on his shaft, mixed with her slick juices. He looked wrecked. "Jade—"

"Jerk off." She said it flat. "On my stomach. On my t**s. I don't care. But you are not locking yourself inside me."

His jaw tightened. His hands were shaking—she could see it, the fine tremor in his fingers where they gripped his own thighs. The wolf in him was howling, she knew. Fighting. Every instinct screamed at him to claim, mark, fill, lock.

He didn't move.

"Do it," she said, softer. "Come on. I'll watch."

She reached down and wrapped her hand around his shaft—her fingers didn't quite meet around the girth—and gave him one slow stroke. He shuddered. Pre-c*m leaked over her knuckles.

"If you knot my fist, I'll kill you," she said. "But I need to see it. I need to see you fall apart for me."

His breath punched out of him. His hand closed over hers, guiding, and he f****d into her grip once, twice—his hips stuttering, his head falling back, a sound torn out of his throat that was almost a sob. "f**k, Jade—"

He came on her. Hot streaks across her stomach, her chest, one landing warm on her chin. His whole body locked up with it, hand still over hers, holding her tight against his pulsing c**k until he was empty.

When he opened his eyes, they were human again. Watery. Scared in a way she had never seen.

“I could have ruined everything. The ceremony. Your place in the pack. My father would have—" He stopped. Swallowed. "You would have been stuck with me."

She sat up slowly. His c*m slid down her ribs, warm and sticky. She didn't wipe it off. "I'm already stuck with you, idiot." She reached up and touched his jaw. "That part's not new. But if I'm going to be your beta, I have to be your beta. Not your knot-drunk mistake."

He pressed his forehead to hers. Breathed her in. "When that knot locked..." he said quietly. "I couldn't have stopped. You know that, right? If you hadn't—"

"I know." She kissed the corner of his mouth. "That's why I stopped us."

He pulled back, looked at the mess on her skin, and let out a breath that was half-laugh and half-groan. "Shower?"

"Shower." She climbed off the bed, his c*m still warm on her skin, and held out her hand. "Coming?"

Steam drifted through the spacious shower in lazy white ribbons, softening the edges of the stone walls that surrounded them. Water cascaded from the rainfall shower head overhead, striking polished slate beneath their feet before swirling toward the drain. The air was warm enough to fog the glass enclosure, turning the outside world into nothing more than blurred shapes and muted colors.

Luca stood behind Jade, a loofah in his hand as he carefully worked the soap across her shoulder. The simple act should have been calming. Ordinary. Instead, his stomach twisted. His mind kept replaying those final moments.

The loss of control.

The instinct.

The terrifying certainty of how close he had come to crossing a line neither of them could uncross.

His hand slowed against her skin. A pup. The thought hit him again with enough force to make his throat tighten. A child. Not just any child. His. And beyond that lurked an even deeper fear. One that settled heavily in his chest and refused to leave.

A bond.

The possibility that instincts stronger than reason could one day tie them to different people. The possibility that they could make choices neither of them wanted. That what had happened tonight could have consequences stretching years into the future.

For someone who spent his life believing he could control any situation through sheer force of will, the realization sat poorly. "Now I understand why you do not sleep with wolves."

His voice came out rougher than intended.

Lower.

Heavier.

Jade glanced over her shoulder at him. Water beaded across her skin as she offered him a small smile. "You are the first," she confessed.

Luca blinked. For a moment he simply stared at her. The answer genuinely surprised him. He had assumed there had been someone before. At least one wolf somewhere in her past. His brow furrowed. "Then—how did you know to stop me?"

The amusement in her eyes deepened. She turned to face him fully, reaching for the loofah he had been using. "Instincts," she said simply. "But you were too lost in yours to realize it."

The teasing note in her voice softened the statement, though it did little to ease the lingering unease coiled inside him. Jade began washing his shoulders now, her movements slow and unhurried. Comfortable. Natural. As though they hadn't just stumbled into dangerous territory. As though his entire world hadn't tilted sideways.

Luca watched her for a long moment before speaking. "This cannot happen again." The words felt heavier than he intended. Necessary. Yet saying them left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Jade's lips twitched. "You're no fun." She turned away before he could respond, tipping her face beneath the water to rinse away the soap. The sound of her laughter echoed softly against the stone walls. "Quite frankly," she continued, "you are much more intense than a human man."

Luca's jaw immediately tightened. That was exactly the comparison he did not want to hear. Not now. Possibly not ever. His gaze narrowed slightly. "I would rather not hear comparisons right now."

That only seemed to amuse her more. Jade stepped from beneath the spray and reached for one of the oversized towels waiting nearby. The fluffy white fabric disappeared around her as she began drying her hair. "I have plenty," she assured him. Far too cheerfully.

Luca groaned under his breath.

Of course she did.

"But since you asked..."

"I did not ask."

Her laugh rang out immediately.

The sound was bright and effortless and entirely too pleased with itself.

Luca shook his head as he stepped beneath the water to rinse away the remaining soap. The warmth did little to ease his frustration. Mostly because the frustration wasn't really directed at her. It was directed at himself.

At his instincts.

At how quickly his control had nearly abandoned him.

At how much he enjoyed standing here with her despite everything he had just said.

A few minutes later he stepped from the shower. Water dripped from his dark hair onto his shoulders as he wrapped a towel securely around his waist.

Jade was waiting nearby, already dressed in nothing more than her towel, her damp blonde hair falling around her shoulders. The moment she looked at him, that familiar spark returned to her eyes. The one that usually meant trouble.

Luca pointed a finger at her. "Thank you." His tone carried every ounce of sarcasm he possessed.

Jade grinned. Then, before he could continue, she rose onto her toes and pressed a soft kiss against his lips.

Brief.

Gentle.

Infuriatingly effective.

When she pulled away, amusement still danced in her pale-green eyes. "I highly doubt this is over between us, Luca."

His gaze remained locked on hers. The confidence in her voice should have annoyed him. Instead, it only made his chest tighten. Because despite every warning bell currently screaming inside his head… He suspected she was right.

The warmth and easy teasing from the shower evaporated almost the moment they stepped into the spacious bedroom, the shadows of the dark forest beyond the large windows stretching like grasping fingers across the hardwood floors. A fire crackled softly in the stone fireplace, casting flickering amber light that did little to dispel the sudden chill in the air.

Jade crossed the room, tightening the towel around herself as she moved, her bare feet making no sound on the polished wood. Luca followed several steps behind, his movements heavier, more deliberate. Unlike Jade, he had nothing to change into. The realization had only just occurred to him with the force of a physical blow: his clothes, soaked and torn, were ruined. His shirt had been torn beyond saving.

Jade glanced over her shoulder, the movement fluid, a slight sway of her hips that might have been playful moments ago, but now held an undercurrent of weariness. "You need clothes."

"I gathered that," he replied, his voice a low rumble, devoid of its usual warmth.

She rolled her eyes, a familiar gesture that usually elicited a reluctant smile from him. Not today. A moment later, she crossed to the intercom mounted beside the door. Within minutes, a discreet knock sounded. A household maid stood outside in Jade’s living room, her eyes wisely fixed somewhere around Jade's shoulder, carrying a neatly folded stack of clothing from the main house. Jade accepted the clothes with a polite, though somewhat strained, smile before shutting the door once more.

The second the latch clicked into place, she turned back toward the room.

Luca was standing beside the bed, his towel hanging low on his hips, his gaze fixed on the bundle of clothes. He reached for it, and Jade handed it over.

“There. Crisis averted," she said, attempting a lighter tone.

"Tragic," he deadpanned.

"Try not to cry about it."

His mouth twitched, a ghost of a smile he quickly suppressed. Despite everything, she could still make him want to laugh. As Jade turned toward the bathroom, intending to clean up and get dressed, a ringtone suddenly sliced through the quiet, sharp and unwelcome.

Both of them froze.

The sound came from the bed. More specifically—from one of the pillows. Jade stopped mid-step, her shoulders visibly stiffening. "Oh no."

Luca slowly turned his head. There it was. The burner phone. Exactly where she had predicted it would land after he had thrown it earlier. The phone continued vibrating against the mattress, a relentless buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Buzz. Luca looked at the screen. Then at Jade. Then back at the screen. His eyes narrowed, a storm gathering within them.

Jade's stomach sank, a heavy, sickening lurch. "Luca."

He ignored her, his focus locked on the glowing screen.

"Luca."

His hand closed around the phone, his fingers tightening on the plastic.

"Don't." The warning came out sharper this time, almost pleading, which only made him more suspicious.

Interesting. Very interesting. Luca accepted the call.

Jade looked seconds away from launching herself across the room, her face a mask of sheer panic.

"Ginger?" The unfamiliar male voice came through the speaker, deep, rough, and laced with a chilling concern. "Are you all right?"

Luca slowly lifted his eyes to Jade. For several seconds, he simply stared, the implications of the burner phone, the fake name, the hidden contacts, the carefully maintained secrecy, crashing down on him. He shouldn't have been surprised. Not really. Jade had always been clever, a strategist in a world that often underestimated her. But this? This was something else entirely.

The more he thought about it, the more absurdly elaborate it became. She hadn't simply hidden parts of her life; she had constructed an entirely separate one. A different name. A different phone. Different people. Different relationships. All so nobody could trace those connections back to her, to her true identity. The realization was both impressive and deeply irritating. Because he suddenly understood something profound: all those human men, every single one of them, had probably believed they knew her. Thought they had spent time with her.

Thought they had gotten close.

Meanwhile, they hadn't even known her real name.

Luca almost laughed, a harsh, disbelieving sound. The poor bastards. Jade had managed to remain a stranger while standing directly in front of them. They never knew who she truly was.

Never knew where she lived.

Never knew who her family was.

Never knew enough to find her again if she disappeared tomorrow.

The level of planning involved was ridiculous, and annoyingly brilliant. She had spent years making sure nobody could keep her, nobody could track her, nobody could claim her, nobody could know her. The thought should have frustrated him, twisted his gut with a possessive fury. Instead, it left him reluctantly impressed. Of course she did. Of course Jade had somehow turned anonymity into an art form.

"Ginger is occupied at the moment," he said, his voice flat, emotionless. Before the man could respond, Luca ended the call.

The room immediately fell silent, the crackling fire and whispering wind outside the only sounds. He tossed the phone back onto the bed. The device bounced once against the comforter before settling near the pillows.

Neither of them moved.

Neither of them spoke.